Diabetes is a worldwide concern. Millions of people suffer or die from it and its complications. The rate at which it is increasing in the population is staggering.
According to the World Health Organization about 347 million people worldwide have diabetes. Deaths from diabetes will rise 50% in the next 10 years and by 2030 diabetes is expected to be the seventh leading cause of death worldwide. continue reading
What is aromatherapy? Basically it is the use of highly volatile (ie easily evaporates) compounds derived from plants for a therapeutic action. Most commonly used through diffusion and inhalation but it can also include topical applications. The oils may come from a variety of different plants and plant parts including flowers, aromatic grasses, roots, wood resins, and spices. They have been used for thousands of years in many different cultures, for medicinal and spiritual uses, and were often considered very valuable (think Three Wise Men with frankincense, myrrh, and gold).
For me aromatherapy is just an extension of herbal medicine which I already incorporate in my treatments. The herbal formulas I prescribe will sometimes have the same plants used in aromatherapy but in their whole state, not the isolated essential oils. Some of my patients are familiar with topicals that I use which do make use of oils such as peppermint, cinnamon, and tea oil. The main difference is between traditional herbal medicine and aromatherapy is how they are used. Internal (taken as a tea or in capsules) versus inhaled (usually with a diffuser), with topical use being the main overlap.
In many instances essential oils just offer another option to herbal medicine. Some patients already take a lot of pills and don’t want to add one more, some know they are forgetful and won’t be good about remembering their doses. For these types of patients using an essential oil may be a better option. However, because they are predominantly used by diffusion/inhalation I believe essential oils offer a better option for the treatment of certain conditions. First and foremost of these would be any respiratory or sinus issue. Getting a therapeutic substance directly into the sinuses and lungs makes more sense then ingesting something that then has to be processed/metabolized in the body. Secondly is for emotional issues. Aromatherapy presents a good option because our sense of smell offers us a direct pathway to our central nervous system and has a strong association with our limbic system, the part of our brain that controls emotion. Therefore aromatherapy can be a great way to deal with stress, depression, anxiety, insomnia, etc. and can be combined with acupuncture and herbal medicine for an even better effect. Essential oils also have a long history of use in various beauty products. If you are a “do-it-yourself-er” type then you can make your own products such as skin creams and bath salts (the kind you actually bathe in). Or you can add a drop or two of an oil to the products you already use. Essential oils also have a natural anti-microbial effect and can be used to make household cleaners and other products. Some of them can even be used as natural insect repellants! So as you can see aromatherapy offers many potential benefits and help me expand what I can offer to my patients.
The next big issue to tackle with aromatherapy is which oils to get? Obviously each oil has it’s specific functions but there is also a lot of overlap. So making that decision is a personal one and is merely about which smells you prefer. The biggest decision is actually about which brands to use. There are many essential oil companies out there and not all are created equal. Some companies buy their product on the world fragrance market, using big distributors instead of buying directly from the producers/distillers. These products may be less expensive, but they may contain adulterants or low quality oils. Price is not the sole indicator of quality, however. One of the most popular essential oil companies is Young Living. Their products are certainly of good quality, but are very expensive because they use a multi-level marketing (MLM) model for their business which inflates their prices. I have decided to carry and use a line of products called Floracopeia at my office. Floracopeia was started by an acupuncturist (clearly a plus in my book) and they support a lot of enviromental/ecological efforts for the plants that are used in aromatherapy as well as trying to support the small scale farmers/distillers (some of which come from a long line of essential oil producers). Floracopeia gets their oils direct from the source, instead of on the world market, which allows them to ensure quality. And since they aren’t a multi-level marketing company their prices are reasonable, often half the price of the Young Living oils. Another nice bonus is that Floracopeia offers tester sized bottles of their oils. So you can either buy a smaller bottle to try, or you can stop by my office and smell them before buying a full bottle.
If you are already familiar with aromatherapy and have a favorite oil you’d like to purchase you can go to www.floracopeia.com/discount and enter CaseyLewisLAc to receive 25% off your first order through the website.
I’m a lucky acupuncturist.
I work with wonderful people every day and I get to hear your stories, celebrate when you get well and watch your families grow up.
I always try to think of ways to improve your health but suddenly it occurred to me—there is one way I haven’t yet helped you.
I haven’t given you a definitive guide to staying healthy.
This pains me. Not only have I neglected giving you the secret to good health but also if I give it to you, you’ll leave me. You won’t need me anymore.
The more I thought about this, the more nervous I became. You see, there’s not one way to stay well, not two or three.
In fact, there must be 50 ways to leave your acupuncturist. (Read more…)
Mashed Parsnips
from East Meets West Weight Loss
Are you the “meat and potatoes” type? Maybe you live with one and it makes it difficult for you to cook the healthy foods you know you should be eating. Either way you should try this great mashed potatoes substitute. Parsnips will help you feel full, curb your sugar cravings, and give you a healthy alternative to a staple food.
Ingredients
2 pounds of parsnips, peeled, and cubed
1 Bartlett pear, peeled, cored, and cut in half
4 garlic cloves, peeled
2 ½ tsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
1 – Fill a large pot with water and add parsnips, garlic, and pear. Make sure ingredients are covered by an inch of water. Bring the water to a boil and then turn down the heat until it is simmering. Let simmer for 20-25 minutes covered. Parsnips should be soft in the middle and easily pierced with a fork.
2 – Drain the pot and transfer the parsnips, garlic, and pear to a food processor*. Add the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Blend until mixture is smooth and creamy in consistency. Serve warm.
*Don’t own a food processor? You could put ingredients through a potato ricer or use a potato masher. Or whatever method you would normally use to make mashed potatoes.
Qigong – some of you have heard me talk about qigong before. For those that haven’t you’re probably looking at it trying to decide how to pronounce it (it’s pronounced chee-gung, don’t let the q fool you). Whether you have a passing familiarity or are just learning a fantastic new Scrabble word I hope by the end of this post you are interested in trying qigong for yourself.
So what is qigong? Qigong is the name for a wide variety of health promoting practices from China that combine deep breathing, aligned posture, and mental focus/meditative techniques to promote health and well-being. It is based on the same principles as Traditional Chinese Medicine, and is itself a part of Chinese medicine (one of the 5 pillars along with acupuncture, herbal medicine, nutrition therapy, and tuina/massage). The main idea is that it develops and strengthens the energy, or qi/chi, of the body, circulates the qi through the meridians, and boosts and harmonizes the functioning of the internal organs. The movements used are gentle and are coupled with deep breathing, proper posture, and emptying of the mind. By clearing the mind it also has a meditative action. Therefore it’s effects are on both the physical and the mental/emotional aspects of the body. It is a form of exercise despite not looking much like the types of exercise we are used to. Though it may not cause us to break a sweat or get short of breath it can be just as beneficial to the body as any other form of exercise, and it doesn’t cause wear and tear on the joints and muscles. It can be a great starting point for those who aren’t getting much exercise currently, or a great addition to an existing exercise regime.
A daily qigong practice can have many beneficial effects on the body. The most obvious are stress relief, improved sleep, increased energy, and an overall sense of improved well-being. It can also be beneficial for many health conditions. These benefits can start to be felt within a few days of only around 15 minutes of daily practice. It also has some major benefits over the more well known practices of yoga and tai chi. In qigong most of the forms are done standing (sometimes sitting) and does not require any special equipment or clothing. They can be performed anywhere you have enough space to swing your arms around and not knock anything over. This gives it an advantage over yoga since you don’t need to bring a mat with you and where you might be limited where and when you can do it. The movements are easy to learn and done in repetitions. This gives it an advantage over tai chi that can take months to learn the specific sequence of movements/steps and which requires a lot more space to maneuver around in. There are also hundreds of different forms you can learn which can be mixed and matched to tailor to your needs and tastes. For example I like the forms that have a lot of movement over the ones that are predominantly still. I can even just do one form during a few minutes of down time when I need to relieve stress or perhaps a little mid-afternoon “pick-me-up”.
The many different movements of qigong all have different effects on the body, though there is a lot of overlap between them. Some focus on the arms and shoulders, some loosen and align the spine, while others get the legs pumping. The common thread between all of the different forms is deep breathing, proper posture, and mental focus. Breathing is something we all do daily yet few of us do it well. Obviously none of us are doing it “wrong” or else we’d pass out, but most of us don’t do it optimally. Many Americans breath shallow into their chests. In qigong we learn to take deep, slow breaths into our bellies. This allows much more oxygen into the blood stream while simultaneously slowing our breathing rate. More oxygen means more fuel for our bodies (oxygen is used to produce ATP which is the fuel burned by all of our bodies’ cells) which means more energy and improved mental function. A slow respiratory rate also causes us to slow our heart rate. A proper posture helps make deep breathing easier while also alleviating much of the physical stress we put on our joints and muscles. Mental focus makes qigong a meditative exercise. It allows us to slow down or stop the constant mental chatter that most of us have. This provides stress relief and mental clarity.
There are many ways to learn qigong. The best way is to learn from a teacher and I encourage any one who is interested to find a class nearby. Unfortunately, there are not many teachers in the area, and the cost and commitment of taking a class can make it difficult. There are also many books and websites about qigong. You can also find many different videos (free and not free) that show different exercises. If you have never done qigong before it is important to learn the basics before just following along with a free video on YouTube. If you are interested you can contact me for some more information to help get you started. Or even better CLICK HERE to go to a website that offers an online class. This is a 22 week program that shows you the basics as well as a complete set of qigong movements. While trying to weed through many different resources for my patients (and myself) I settled on this one because it is a complete product, and it offers a 2 week trial for only $4.95. That way you don’t have to shell out a lot of money only to find you don’t particularly like it. I hope you find it enjoyable and can share the many benefits that I have found by doing qigong.
If you’ve found the idea of an easy to do and easy to learn form of exercise intriguing I hope you seek out more information as there is much more to discuss about this topic (maybe I’ll have more posts in the future). But the best way to learn more about qigong is to actually try it. I suggest starting out with the 2 week trial mentioned above.
Having breast cancer is hard. Your body wages a war against cancer cells and your emotions may slide into fear, grief, anxiety and depression.
And unfortunately, the side effects from breast cancer treatments can make it even worse.
Until now, many people thought they had to suffer through all the discomfort. But new research shows that acupuncture is very effective at relieving the side effects of breast cancer treatments.
Continue reading…
A key part of a healthy diet is smart snacking. It is often recommended to eat small meals/snacks throughout the day instead of just three (or for many people only one or two) larger meals. Many snack foods are not healthy alternatives, despite clever marketing claims or emphasis on their caloric content (100 calorie packs, I’m looking at you). However, granola is a great option. It has whole grains to help regulate blood sugar and keep you from binging later in the day. Nuts provide some health fats, and some dried fruits can add flavor and anti-oxidants.
GRANOLA RECIPE (Makes 13 cups)
---------------------------------------------- 1/2 cup vegetable oil or coconut oil 1/2 cup pure maple syrup or honey 1-1/2 cups lightly packed brown sugar 6 cups quick oats or old-fashioned oats 2 cups chopped walnuts, or almonds, or pecans 1 cup wheat germ (optional) 1 cup shredded coconut 1 cup raisins or other dried fruit 1 cup sweetened dried cranberries or dried cherries Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 17 x 11" jelly roll pans with cooking oil spray. Combine oil, syrup & brown sugar. Microwave uncovered 'til melted (approx. 3 min.) Whisk any lumps. Combine oats, nuts, wheat germ and coconut in large bowl. Pour syrup mixture over and mix. Spread evenly onto jelly-roll pans. Bake 10 min. Stir, then bake approx. 10 more min. (Switch pans/oven racks for even baking.) Cool one hour then sprinkle dried fruit over and mix together. Store in sealed containers or jars. Can freeze portions in zip-lock bags also.
Many people feel down as winter approaches. It’s dark. It’s cold. The holidays can be stressful.
But for some people every winter is unbearable. They’re tired and depressed. They don’t want to get out of bed. They snap at their families and binge on junk food.
These people have seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
Our moods and energy levels fluctuate with the seasons. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) understands these cycles but modern life does not. These days, you are expected to be active, productive and creative at all times of the year. There is no accommodation for a slow, quiet winter. According to TCM, this conflict causes stress, which can result in SAD.
It’s about almost month into the New Year. Do you already wish you had a do-over for your New Year’s Resolutions?
If so, you’re in luck. You do.
February 10th is the Chinese lunar New Year. The celebration of the New Year, the Spring Festival, is China’s longest and most important holiday. Because it is based on a different calendar, it falls on a different date between January 21 and February 20 every year. You can think of Spring Festival as Christmas and New Year all rolled into one. Just like our holiday season, it’s a time of celebration, visiting family and friends, giving gifts and preparing for the next year.
In China, there are many New Year’s traditions during the 15-day Spring Festival. Many people clean their homes to sweep away the past year and usher in the next. Oftentimes family members travel home for a visit. Children receive red envelopes, called hóngbāo in Mandarin, filled with money from their relatives. People hang red lanterns outside their homes to bring happiness and good luck. On Chinese New Year’s Eve families gather for a huge meal and enjoy “lucky” foods together. And, of course, there are fireworks.
The Chinese zodiac has 12 years in its cycle, each one represented by an animal; 2013 is the Year of the Snake. Astrologers say that people born in the Year of the Snake are wise but enigmatic. They are very intuitive and size up situations well, but say little. Snakes are refined; they like to dress well and are usually financially secure. They are intense and passionate in relationships, but can become jealous and suspicious. Snakes prefer a calm, stress-free environment.
The Chinese do not traditionally make New Year’s Resolutions like we do in the West, however this is a good time to reflect on the goals you set a month ago. Are you keeping your New Year’s resolutions?
If you’re having trouble, maybe it’s time to take a lesson from the Snakes. Take a quiet moment and reflect on what is stopping you. Do you need to get serious? Do you need additional support? Are your goals genuine—do you want to do them or do you think you should do them? Why haven’t you kept your New Year’s Resolutions?
If your resolutions include improving your health in 2013, I can help you with that. Give me a call and we can arrange an appointment for anything from a tune-up to weight control to mood balancing.
If you need to make a deeper commitment to your resolutions, take a moment and think about what you need to do to keep them. Write down 3 easy action steps.
…and do them. Now.
Use the Chinese lunar New Year as a do-over. Commit to your New Year’s resolutions.
Gōng Xǐ Fā Cái. Happy New Year.
Photo credit: Gayle Nicholson / Foter / CC BY-SA
Your mother was right–say thank you.
Scientists have now proven what your mother always knew–it’s good to be grateful. Being grateful is more than just politeness; it’s actually good for your health and well-being.
In a study by Robert A. Emmons, of the University of California, and Davis and Michael E. McCullough, of the University of Miami, people who kept gratitude journals showed higher levels of health and well-being than people who journaled neutral events or counted hardships. After 2 months, the people who journaled their gratitude felt more optimistic and happier than their control counterparts. They reported fewer physical problems and spent more time working out. People with neuromuscular problems who did the same thing fell asleep more quickly, slept longer and woke up feeling more refreshed. Even their spouses noticed the difference!
How can you cultivate gratefulness even if you’re a glass-half-empty person?
